Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The District Administration Pulwama organised a two-day Sports Festival for senior citizens this week under the Nasha Mukt Jammu & Kashmir campaign, blending recreational competition with a sustained public health message promoting active ageing and a drug-free society.
The festival brought together senior citizens from different parts of the district for a series of recreational events, including Tug of War, Musical Chairs and Kabaddi, drawing enthusiastic participation that organisers said reflected the community’s appetite for structured wellness initiatives tailored to older residents. The choice of games, familiar and accessible rather than physically demanding, was designed to encourage broad participation while reinforcing the festival’s core themes of fitness and social connection.
The District Sports Officer, who attended the event, commended participants for their energy and spirit, underlining the importance of regular physical activity and community engagement in sustaining a healthy lifestyle among senior citizens. The officer also used the occasion to reinforce the campaign’s central message on drug-free living, linking physical wellness initiatives to the broader Nasha Mukt Jammu & Kashmir effort aimed at curbing substance abuse across the Union Territory.
For many participants, the festival offered more than just recreation. Attendees said the event provided a valuable opportunity to promote fitness, foster social interaction and raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse, all within a format designed specifically for older community members who are often overlooked in conventional sports and wellness programming.
The festival concluded with a prize distribution ceremony, during which winners across the various events were felicitated, while all participants received recognition for their enthusiastic involvement. The closing event capped two days of activity that organisers hope will become a recurring feature of the district’s engagement with its senior citizen population.
District officials said such initiatives form part of a wider strategy to embed the anti-drug message within community life through positive, participatory programming rather than purely punitive or awareness-based campaigns. By centring senior citizens, a demographic not traditionally associated with anti-drug outreach, the Pulwama administration signalled an intent to broaden the campaign’s reach across age groups and reinforce a shared community responsibility toward building a healthier, drug-free Jammu and Kashmir.
